Abigail Ruiters, accused of killing her one-year-old son, said in court that she had noticed an injury on his body prior to his death, but that her co-accused and ex- berk Ameerodien Peters had told her her daughter had caused it.
Ruiters took the stand for a fourth day at the Western Cape High Court, where she was being cross-examined by State prosecutor Maria Marshall.
Little Jeremiah Ruiters was raped and murdered at their Kensington home in June 2017.
Marshall asked whether Abigail had ever seen any other injuries on the tot’s body, excluding two incidents in March and April, where Jeremiah had broken his arm and had surgery on his finger.
ACCUSED: Abigail Ruiters broke down in the court
“Yes, I think it was on his left shoulder. But my co-accused told me that Zara [my daughter] had bitten the child,” Ruiters answered.
Asked whether she believed Peters, Ruiters said: “I don’t know. I was not home to see. But I believe my child telling me she didn’t do it. Why would she want to hurt her brother?”
On Tuesday, Ruiters became emotional as she looked at Jeremiah’s post-mortem pictures and court was adjourned.
Wednesday, she told the court: “Ek wil niks foto’s sien nie.”
But Marshall was adamant as she wanted to demonstrate the extent of the child’s brutal injuries.
Peters sat in the dock with prayer beads in his hands, giving Ruiters vuil kyke.
Ruiters teared up as she looked through the photos.
Marshall said the injuries to Jeremiah’s face and arms were “glaringly visible”.
But Ruiters said: “I didn’t see those marks.”